1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with a process and a machine for packing the luggage of users of different transport means and in particular of airplane passengers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Luggage, such as rigid or soft valises, bags, golf bags, skis, etc..., of passengers of transport means and in particular of airplanes often undergo, during travel, damages resulting from impact, rubbing or weathering. Besides, even if they have safety locks, these can be broken apart during their handling and the owners of the luggage are left with just the possibility of observing the theft they have suffered when they pick up their luggage. Finally, they can be opened for terrorist attempts by installing an exploding device inside.
As is described in the document WO87/00144, an automatic protecting wrapping machine intended to be used with luggage of different sizes is already known. This machine comprises movable means to move the luggage toward a tunnel oven equipped with thermo-retractable means, the luggage being wrapped into a thermo-shrinkable plastic material welded all around each luggage, in such a way as to constitute a continuous envelope which is totally closed. Optical detecting means are provided to detect the sizes of different luggage and to correlatively control the operation of welding parts for welding the sheet of plastic material around each piece of luggage.